The Common Core Coaching Book: Strategies to Help Teachers Address the K-5 ELA Standards (Teaching Practices That Work)

This book provides essential coaching tools to support teachers in planning and implementing instruction aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The authors explain the key instructional shifts brought about by the CCSS in K-5 English language arts classrooms. Eighteen specific strategies for coaching large groups, small groups, and individual teachers are presented, including clear-cut procedures, vivid illustrative examples, and 28 reproducible forms. Grounded in research on adult learning, the book addresses common coaching challenges and how to overcome them. The large-size format facilitates photocopying; purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

Laurie Elish-Piper, PhD, is Distinguished Teaching Professor, Presidential Engagement Professor, and Director of the Jerry L. Johns Literacy Clinic in the Department of Literacy Education at Northern Illinois University, where she also serves as Deputy Provost. Dr. Elish-Piper's research and teaching focus on literacy leadership and coaching. She has published and presented widely with Susan K. L'Allier on literacy coaching at the elementary level. She has worked extensively with school districts to develop and implement literacy coaching programs at the elementary and middle school levels, and she teaches graduate courses related to literacy coaching and leadership. Dr. Elish-Piper has coauthored seven books. Prior to joining the faculty at Northern Illinois University, she worked as an elementary teacher, a middle school reading teacher, and an educational therapist in a clinical setting.

Susan K. L'Allier, EdD, is Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Reading Program in the Department of Literacy Education at Northern Illinois University. She and Laurie Elish-Piper have conducted multiple research studies to examine the relationship between literacy coaching and student literacy achievement. In addition to their journal articles, chapters, and presentations about literacy coaching, they also have published a video “workshop in a box” titled The Literacy Coaching Series, which enables viewers to see and analyze interactions between literacy coaches and teachers. Prior to joining the faculty at Northern Illinois University, Dr. L'Allier worked as an elementary teacher, a lead teacher, and a principal.